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Robert Hackett on Nils Aall Barricelli

Thursday, June 26, 2014

He didn’t rest with creating a universe of numerical organisms, he converted his organisms into images. His computer tallies of 1s and 0s would then self-organize into visual grids of exquisite variety and texture.

We know the names of many of the fathers of modern computing, but one of the most brilliant remains largely unknown.

That's slowly changing, thanks to writers like Robert Hackett, who have been shouting from the rooftops the story of this brilliant — and perhaps mad — mathemetical genius who could turn theories of life itself into incredible digital creations.

We owe much of the digital world to Nils Aall Barricelli. It's time we knew his story.